The prior art is replete with adhesive tape dispensing devices which in general support a tape roll, and provide a cutter or blade for tearing short lengths off of the roll at desired tape lengths. Often, as in schools and the like, it is desired to configure a short segment of pressure sensitive adhesive tape into a loop with the adhesive oriented at the outer circumference there on in order to affix papers of miscellaneous nature to windows and walls. It is desirable to apply tape to the back of the article so that the tape is not visible, and so that the front surface of the article will not be damaged. Other applications for looping tape include gift wrapping such as when bows or ribbons are attached to gift boxes, and party decorating as when balloons and other odd shaped articles ore affixed to walls. Craft making also presents purposes for looping tape, although the applications are much more varied.
The market has in part responded to this demand by manufacturing double sided tape which has the adhesive applied to both sides of the tape, but tape of this nature has not found favor for many of these applications for several functional reasons, in addition to a higher cost which is currently approximately twice that of single sided adhesive tape.
One functional reason for unsatisfactory performance of double sided tape in many of these applications pertains to poor adhesive strength when double sided tape is affixed between mutually nonparallel and/or irregular nonconforming surfaces. Subjected to such conditions, the effective surface-to-surface contact area is substantially reduced. The single layer of double sided tape simply cannot conform to two opposed surfaces spaced apart at a distance greater than the thickness of the tape, whereas a tape loop form will.
Another functional reason relates to removal difficulties of double sided tape when papers are to be taken down. During removal, the double sided tape will remain on the surface to which it has the greatest adhesion; and most often, as in the case when it has been applied to windows, must be scraped off of the glass with the use of a razor blade. If a piece of looped tape had been utilized, one would readily be able to pull the loop off with minimal difficulty. Removal damage to painted surfaces such as walls is also minimized when tape loops are utilized due the fact that the action of peeling a tape loop off is less likely to cause paint separation.
One invention which attempted to facilitate the formation of tape loops may be seen by U.S. Pat. No. 3,747,483, James A. Hurst; which discloses a device which incorporates a rod mandrel about which the tape is to be wound when forming a loop or tube. This invention did not achieve commercial success in part because the operator is still required to physically wind the tape. An earlier invention by the same, U.S. Pat. No. 3,485,147, provided a powered means to accomplish the same result, albeit in a costly and complicated manner.
Despite these options available to consumers, the enduring art of looping tape has remained as the popular choice, and a need has continued for the development of an inexpensive and efficient tape looper or tube former which greatly expedites the process.